| Problematic Pointbreaks // Editorial 07 March 2011 By: Andrew Cassidy Location: Australia You know the setup, a beautifully shaped, high performance wave running down the shallow sandbank or rock ledge along one of the many pristine points on Australia's east coast. These waves are generally so predictable with every wave duplicating the one before it - so easy to surf due to the lack of hidden surprises. They often have a super easy paddle out too, with an entertaining view of all the action whilst travelling back to the take-off zone. Sounds like paradise, hey? So what's the problem? Well, because these places are so good and so fun to surf on any type of craft, they are generally very, very crowded. Add to that, the fact that the prime take-off zone is normally about the size of a postage stamp on that boil or wedge right on the tip of the point, and you will start to imagine the issues of having a bigger (than some) board, with a wide turning circle and a required perimeter of about a metre so other punters don't receive a carbon paddle to the head. Sure, if we weren't such a considerate genre of wave riders, there wouldn't be a problem with getting waves at places like these. We could simply sit that little bit further out, swing around when the sets come and plough through the pack as we're negotiating the initial drop. But, that's probably not going to help with the public relations of our sport though. To be a model SUPer at these kinds of small take-off zone pointbreaks, we must wait our turn. Waiting our turn means queuing for the waves. Queuing for the waves means standing very close to the others as we shuffle towards the take-off zone. That's all OK if you can find enough water to dip your paddle into to maintain your balance through the chop, surges, boils and backwash. If you can't find enough water, somebody's probably going to have a ding from a paddle on the deck of their shortboard or possibly a fallen paddle surfer lying on their back. That's not cool. So let's just say we have managed to get ourselves into an orderly queue and we have managed to stay upright for long enough to get to the head of that queue. Now our set comes but we are facing out to sea and have to turn around in order to catch it. On a shortboard or even a mal, this is fine. Just sit up and spin the board around on the spot - easy. On a SUP - not so easy. You have to get into surf stance, jump back towards the tail, frantically paddle on one side (with a very wide arc which requires an even bigger perimeter of free space) and gradually turn the big girl through her wide turning circle until she is pointing in the right direction. Now, if you managed to stay upright through all of that, you are probably out of position because your starting point, at the head of the queue, was the prime take-off position. You might be too wide and now one of those less considerate shortboarders has snaked you on the inside. You might be too deep and now have no way of making that first section. You might have paddled out too far and can't get onto the thing or (the worst and most common option) you have paddled too far in and are now about to get cleaned up by a pitching lip which consequently drags you into the impact zone and then over the barnacle encrusted rocks on the beautiful, pristine point which isn't looking terribly beautiful or pristine anymore. I know what you are thinking, why don't we just sit wide of the pack where we've got more space to fit in a turning run up at the big sets. Well, it's pretty rare that there isn't someone taking off deeper than that and calling you off it and we don't like to drop in because we are very considerate of our fellow ocean revellers. You might get one in twenty that everyone is too wide for or the kook on the inside doesn't make the drop. This wide position soon gets very frustrating as perfect waves pass by ridden by guys who have just paddled past you on their way to the prime take-off zone. Heartbreakingly frustrating, especially when it is really pumping. So what's the answer? Sorry, I don't have it. I'm at a loss. Maybe we just need to accept that those perfect pointbreak waves, that are so easy to surf well and would raise the bar on performance SUP surfing in Australia, are just not for us. What do you reckon?  | |
